Terry Martin,
Interim Dean of Engineering
Professor of Electrical Engineering
This issue of our magazine comes at an exciting time. I am very pleased to welcome alumnus and dear friend John English back to the College of Engineering. Dr. English will become dean of engineering on July 1. He comes to us from Kansas State, where he has served as dean since 2007. Before that, he was head of the industrial engineering department here at the University of Arkansas. Dr. English is an accomplished engineer, professor and administrator with a record of successful leadership both at Kansas State and here at the University of Arkansas, and we are all very happy that he plans to return home to Fayetteville.Dr. English is stepping into his new role at an important time for the college and the university. The University of Arkansas has set a new goal of becoming one of the top 50 public research universities in the nation, and the College of Engineering is working hard to support this goal, through our efforts in both research and education. As I walk through the halls of Bell Engineering Center and the newly-named John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall, I feel optimistic about this goal. We’ve had record enrollment again this semester, and our hallways and classrooms are full of bright and talented future engineers. In our labs and offices, U of A engineering professors are hard at work mentoring students and focusing on technological advancements to solve the challenges of our world.
One of these challenges is water quality. Water is essential to life: it quenches our thirst, flushes away waste and supports our natural environments. But if our water systems aren’t clean and healthy, our health and ecosystems suffer. Researchers like Julian Fairey are making sure that your drinking water is as clean as possible, while Wen Zhang and Ranil Wickramsinghe are finding more efficient ways to treat wastewater. The Arkansas Water Resources Center tests water quality around the state, and businesses like Garver and BlueInGreen keep our water clean and healthy, while providing jobs for local engineers. And in Belize, Arkansas engineering students are helping developing communities improve their water supply.
I hope you find this issue interesting and informative, and I invite you in to join me in welcoming our new dean.
